One week later...

I am happy to report that week 1 of our official potty training has gone very well! We've definitely had our struggles, but Ethan has gotten really good at #1. He had 4 accidents at school on Monday, 2 on Tuesday and then none on Wed or Thurs! Well, no #1 accidents anyways. Today was the first day that he managed #2 on the potty and that was pretty exciting! We were at The Krangle's so we had to call daddy right away. We've been telling him how we have a big present for him for when he does his first #2 on the potty so he was very excited to get home. When we pulled in, he said "does daddy have a really big present for me?" I was concerned because I wasn't sure what a "really big present" was to him. We had gotten him a toy from Little Einsteins (Rocket) but I had no idea if that was "really big". Luckily he followed his inquiry with "maybe it's a garbage truck. Or a cement mixer or a dump truck". I felt relieved that we were in the same ball park. He was very excited with his present as you can program it to fulfill your "mission" by pressing a sequence of buttons. Steve was very excited about it too. It was truly the most annoyingly packaged toy we've ever gotten for him, but it was worth it!

On Friday we had Stephanie, Charlie and Will and Katie, Caleb and Adelina over for play time and lunch. With 5 kids it was pretty crazy, but it was great time. The kids all got a long really well and didn't bother Adelina too much. It was great for us moms to catch up but we didn't take any pictures! How times have changed. I wish I had though. You wouldn't believe how grown up these boys are these days.

Before our friends got here, Ethan was doing his best teenager impression. This is my Tetris game and Ethan has no idea how to play it. In fact, I don't even think it was on, but he was really into it.



Today Ethan and I had to get out of the house so that Steve could paint E's room and Bridget and Katie had to get out of the house so that Mark could do some yardwork so we decided to get out together. We took the kids to The Ecotarium in Worcester. E and I drove to their house to put the carseats together and I had to take a couple of pictures of the kids together. I'm having prom picture premonitions over these. How cute are they!?

They were so excited to see each other. They are both doing well at their new schools, but there's nothing like old friends...even at their age.

Turns out Ethan can fit both of his feet inside of 1 polar bear footprint.

It was impossible to see anything through this microscope but that didn't stop E from trying again and again.

Outside there were many bubble stations and the kids kept trying to do the one that put them in a bubble tube, but it was too windy to work out.

Around noon, when looking for a place to get lunch for all of us, Bridget and I discovered that their snack bar was only open "in season" and that season apparently ended at Labor Day. The kids had already eaten the fruit bars and oyster crackers that I had brought so we only had the oyster crackers (yes, Bridget and I both randomly packed oyster crackers!) and teddy grahams that Bridget had brought to eat. Ethan does not do well without lunch and/or a nap so by the time we went on the train ride at 1:00, he was pretty out of it! He did enjoy it though. At one point you go through a tunnel and it gets really dark. I was worried that he would freak out about it but he was very quiet while we were in it and when we got out he told me he wanted to go through again. I was so relieved!

It was a beautiful day, and the Ecotarium was pretty cool but the day was exhausting. Keeping up with a potty training toddler in public is crazy! He peed all over my leg at one point after declaring he didn't need to go. We were all starving by the time we left! Bridget and I were having trouble keeping it together but after we had lunch we were a little better.

The good news is that Ethan's room is almost all painted! Steve got half done while we were gone and he's up there now finishing it. Ethan is sleeping in "Auntie Jamie's" room tonight so that's pretty special for him. He'd better sleep in a little tomorrow...